(from "When I'm 64" by Lennon/McCartney)
Please excuse me if this rambles...I didn't really proofread, just wanted to get this all out there into the universe as it's my way of figuring all of this stuff out. Hope you enjoy it at least!
I think it's interesting how people measure success. If you talk to most people, it's probably along the lines of "I own a house, I own this car, I make this much money," blah blah blah. If you talk to others, it might be, "I've raised this many kids, and now have this many grandkids." And I think there might just be a handful of people out there who might say something along the lines of "I've lived life to the fullest and know that when the time comes, I'll have no regrets." And while there is no "wrong" answer, I strive to fall into the latter 2 categories. In order to do that, I think I need to take this trip either now, or wait until I'm retired or my possible future kids are in college. Those are really the only time frames I think would work. I'm all ears if there are any other suggestions, but I absolutely hate the idea of packing up my possible future family and moving them. I love my family to death and know they had to do what they had to do for jobs and whatnot, but I still feel like we moved too much when I was growing up. I'd like to do what the boy's parents did, buy a house and really settle down. The fact that when he goes home to see his family, he gets to see all of his friends from HS as well, is something I long to give to my possible future kids. So, better get this whole I-want-to-live-everywhere thing out of my system now, don't you think?
I've been told by a few people that $10k probably won't be enough for my little adventure. I'm not sure if it will be yet either, but what I do know, is that it's a good goal. If I can put away $10k, and still have a little bit of money in my checking account and my credit cards all paid off, then I think I'm on my way to making this whole thing a reality! I'm also not expecting to pack up and go without having to work wherever I end up. While the economy may be crap right now, I do have experience waiting tables. And, while it may not be glamorous or very exciting, I could see me doing that anywhere to make ends meet. Oh yeah, and I have janitorial experience too, so worst case scenario there's always that! ;) Minus all of the poo cleanup, I actually LOVED that job! Weird, I know.
Basically, I know I have thousands of dollars worth of student loans in my name, not to mention what Parental Unit 1 took out for me, and I know I'll probably be paying them off longer than I've already been on this earth, but I firmly believe that I can make things work. Maybe it's the dreamer in me, or maybe it's the fact that I've been kind of making it work for the past 3 years, not without some help here and there, but I really do believe that if you want to do something and make something happen, you can. I also know that education is very important in this day and age. Now, whether that's a college degree on your wall, several college degrees on your wall, or just, I don't know, experiencing life and what it throws at you, is debatable and the answers vary depending on who you talk to. I've had some of the most amazing conversations with and learned a ton from some of my very closest friends, who have either graduated law school or tried the whole college thing and found out that college isn't for everyone. Although USC gave me a great education and valuable experiences, including the ones below, I think I've learned the most just living life and not necessarily in that stuffy old classroom. When I studied abroad in London, I learned how to live on very little until my financial aid finally kicked in 2-3 weeks later. I lived off of matzo crackers and terrible strawberry yogurt from Sainsbury's, but I still went and experienced everything I wanted to. That's how I made it work. The summer after my freshman year of college, I got my first legit apartment...in the ghettoish area...with a major ant, spider, cockroach problem. Even though I had to borrow money to get the apartment in the first place (which I tried to pay back, even if they wouldn't let me, coughParentalUnit2cough), I was so proud of that little dump! I did whatever I had to that summer to make it work. I didn't have cable, rented VHS tapes from the library, shopped at farmers markets and pretty much lived off of good old PB&J. I'm not writing this part out of self-pity or trying to toot my own horn, but instead to remind myself, and whoever might read this, that although $10k might not seem like enough, I know I'll find a way to make things work and I know that taking this amazing journey will be absolutely, positively worth it. How do I know? I don't know exactly. But how can you tell me it's not worth it or that it's going to be a bad experience? You have to do things in life. You can't just sit around and wonder "what if?" That's not what it's about. If everyone did that and didn't actually do anything, human beings, and life in general, would be insanely boring in my opinion.
I may not have it all figured out just yet, and I'm most definitely still in the very beginning stages of planning everything, but I think I can see that first duck peeking around the door jam. I think he might just be working up the courage to ask me if he can be the first duck to join me in the same room...
Quote that hit me on the drive home today:
"Trying to make ends meet/You're a slave to money/Then you die..." - from "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve
^So, why not try and do something you enjoy, either work or for you personally?
My all-time favorite quotes that have helped me through a lot: I have no idea who said either, that's why I didn't credit anyone...
"Those who are different, change the world. Those who are the same, keep it that way."
"Everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, then it's not the end."
I suddenly have a craving for PB&J and matzo crackers & yogurt...oh the sweet taste of success! ;)
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